Friday 2nd: Another day, another field trip to view birds. This time I'm at Blacktoft Sands RSPB, a small Reserve situated at the convergence of two rivers; the Ouse and the Trent at the mouth of the Humber. This site provides a necessary stopping-off point for a variety of waders to feed and nest. I was hoping to see some Avocets and maybe a Bearded Tit or two. Alas...none were forthcoming. But I was in for a day of remarkable displays by the Reserve's current influx of Marsh Harriers. For I had arrived at just the right time as the males vie for the breeding rights to the sitting females in the reeds.
Now I've only ever seen one Marsh Harrier before and that was a good few years ago! Here today, I would be witness to five individuals in the sky at the same time! And remarkably, no sooner had one descended into the reeds, another would take it's place in the air. In fact I must've spent 70% of my time there, just watching and videoing the Marsh Harriers. I lost count of the number of individual Harriers but I believe that there were easily in excess of 12! These raptors would slowly cruise the sky with lethargic wing-beats and glide into steep turns and swoops towards the reed-tops. The individual colours and markings could readily be seen with the unaided-eye and through binoculars or my scope, were truly amazing! The video below shows one such display by a lone male.
Other birds of note were a Kestrel, hunting on the edge of a field, 40-odd Black-tailed Godwits on an island resting amidst all the cacophony from the Black-headed Gulls and mild indifference from a pair of Oystercatchers and 3 Wigeon. A large group of Shelducks and Shovelers shared the pool seen from Ousefleet hide along with a pair of smartly-looking Pintails. Various passerines such as Willow Warbler, Chaffinches, Reed Buntings, Tree Sparrows and Pied Wagtails to name but a few.
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